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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: march · press · rule · toast · charge · plane · bank · bass

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — to push
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. march — music
  5. charge — a price
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. bank — for money
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. charge — in control
  12. bass — low music
  13. rule — government
  14. march — the month
  15. charge — electricity
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bass — the fish
  18. press — newspapers
  19. rule — a law
  20. plane — a tool
  21. march — the month
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bank — for money
  24. toast — bread

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com